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Showing posts from December, 2016

Limassol, Cyprus

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Limassol is the 2nd largest urban area in Cyprus. It was built between the two ancient cities, Amathous and Kourion, and prospered after these cities were destroyed by an earthquake. Limassol became famous due to events that happened during the third crusade, featuring the King of England, Richard Lionheart, and his fianceé, Berengaria. Berengaria was going to the Holy Land by sea when a storm made her ship end up in Cyprus. The governor of Cyprus invited the princess ashore, with the intention of holding her to ransom and when she refused he denied her fresh water. He later also refused to give any help to liberate the Holy Land and King Richard eventually conquered the island, putting an end to centuries of Byzantine dominium. The island was sold to the Knights Templar in order to help finance the crusade. What to visit in Limassol : Archaeological Museum Ayia Napa Cathedral Castle Folk Art Museum Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates Zoo

Ayia Napa Cathedral, Limassol, Cyprus

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Ayia Napa cathedral was built in the byzantine style, looking much older than it actually is. It started being built in 1891 and the first mass was celebrated on the 25th of December 1903. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which was found in a glen. Entrance free.

Palácio da Bolsa, Oporto, Portugal

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During the liberal wars, in the 19th century, a fire destroyed the cloisters of the nearby church of Saint Francis and the queen, Dona Maria II, donated the ruins to the city's merchants. The stock exchange palace was built in the 19th century by the city's commercial association in the neoclassical style. Construction works started in 1842, following the plans laid down by the architect Joaquim da Costa Junior. Most of the palace was finished by 1850 but the interior decoration was only completed in 1910. There are guided tours to visit the palace in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French. One of the palace's highlights is the Arab Room, designed by architect Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves e Sousa. Engineer Gustave Eiffel had an office at the palace during the period he worked in Oporto (pictured below). Opening hours : Mon. to Sun. 9h00-18h30 (Apr. to Oct.) 9h00-12h30 and 14h00-17h30 (Nov. Mar.) Ticket (standard): €8 ((You can buy your ticket here , choose th

Folk Art Museum, Limassol, Cyprus

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The museum is housed in a typical Cyprus house and displays an important collection of folk art and traditional objects from the last two centuries. The collection includes traditional costumes, tapestries, embroideries, furniture, household tools, jewelry. It was awarded the "Europa Nostra" award in 1989. Opening hours : Mon. to Fri. 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entrance fee : €2

Oporto's Cathedral, Portugal

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Oporto's cathedral was built between the 12th and 13th centuries, in the Romanesque style, but enlarged and renovated several times throughout the centuries.  Main renovations were made in the 14th century when the funerary chapel of "João o Gordo" (a knight) and the cloister was added and in Baroque times, when the appearance of the church was greatly altered, namely the Romanesque apse was torn down and a new one was built.  The most recent intervention was made in the 20th century when the church was renovated in an idealised medieval style. Ticket (standard) : church entrance free; cloister €3 Opening hours: Mon. to Sat. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sun. closes between 12.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m.; Oct. to Mar. closes at 6 p.m.; cloister closes half an hour earlier. How to go: The Cathedral is within walking distance of the city centre. Oporto Cathedral Plan 1. Entrance; 2-Apse; 3-Our Lady of Vandoma, patroness of O

D. Luís Bridge, Oporto, Portugal

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Dom Luis Bridge was built between 1881 and 1888, connecting the cities of Vila Nova de Gaia and Oporto. Theophile Seyrig, who had engineered the D. Maria Pia Bridge project as Gustave Eiffel's partner, took sole responsibility for this new bridge. The bridge is a double-decked metal arch bridge, with a span of 172 m, the longest of its type in the world at the time of construction. Originally, and for more than a century, the bridge carried road traffic on both decks. In 2003 the upper deck was closed to road traffic and has since then been occupied by the Metro do Porto light rail system and a pedestrian walkway that offers magnificent views of Oporto's historic centre. The bridge is named after King D. Luis I, king of Portugal from 1861 to 1889.

Parc du Cinquantenaire/ Jubelpark, Brussels, Belgium

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This park was inaugurated in 1880, by king Leopold II, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgium's independence. The park covers 30 hectares of classical gardens and the museums of Art and History, Aviation, Army and Military History and Autoworld are located here.